by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- As dark clouds gather over Wolfsburg, coach Daniel Bauer is tightening his control of the struggling Bundesliga side ahead of Saturday's crucial match at home to northern rival Hamburger SV.
The 43-year-old has revised the team's weekly schedule, ordering players to report at 11:30 a.m., well before the usual 3:30 p.m. training session, as he attempts to steady the team amid a deepening crisis.
Wolfsburg has slipped to 17th in the Bundesliga and is facing the threat of relegation, just 29 years after the club first earned promotion to Germany's top flight.
Seven matches without a win have left the Wolves under mounting pressure, with Bauer also battling criticism over squad selection and a lack of stability following frequent coaching changes in recent years.
The club, owned by car manufacturer Volkswagen, finds itself in a severe crisis in the spring of 2026. Tensions have grown around chief executive Peter Christiansen and sporting director Pirmin Schwegler, while Bauer has said the "atmosphere and culture in the club" are far from what is required at Bundesliga level.
Despite a humiliating 4-0 defeat away to Stuttgart, Wolfsburg's leadership surprised supporters by keeping Bauer in charge, though German media reports describe Saturday's match against promoted Hamburg as a "last shot" for the coach.
Christiansen himself is under growing pressure and could lose his job regardless of how the season ends. Wolfsburg has collected just 20 points from 24 matches, leaving the club in deep trouble with 10 rounds remaining.
German media have already speculated about potential replacements should Wolfsburg fail to beat Hamburg, with former Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking, ex-Eintracht Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller and veteran coach Friedhelm Funkel among the names mentioned.
Volkswagen chairman Oliver Blume even visited the team's dressing room following the defeat in Stuttgart in an attempt to rally the squad during a difficult period.
Far removed from the European ambitions outlined by Christiansen in the summer of 2024, Wolfsburg is now gripped by what sports magazine Kicker described as a "shock-induced paralysis."
The threat of relegation, and the possibility of losing substantial backing from Volkswagen, has only intensified the tension around the club.
Some supporters have launched an online petition calling for sweeping changes and a complete relaunch of the project.
"The situation is critical but not hopeless," Bauer said. "Right now, the only thing on my mind is taking the three points against HSV." ■
